Good Morning,
I’m sitting here in traditional writing position at my computer this morning with a large cat curled up in my lap. For all of you cat people out there (and aren’t most writers cat people?), this is Max. He’s a handsome chocolate brown and white formerly feral cat. He and Sophie take turns warming my lap all thoughout the morning. Sophie is a year-old tortie who, had it not been for a caring soul in a nearby town, would still be living on the streets. We also have Winfield, a white odd-eye cat (one blue and one green). He isn’t a lap cat unless you are lolling near the fireplace or sitting in a spotlight of sunshine. All three of the cats have been fodder for some of my articles to cat magazines, pet trade magazines and others. I guess that makes them famous.
I woke up to a new world of writing this morning–a mode of writing called blogging. Personally, I don’t care what the activity or process is called, as long as writing is involved. I think this is true for most writers who were born with the passion to write.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been writing articles for magazines for over 30 years. I am also the author of 24 books. Read about my latest book, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book” in a former post. I am also the president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). www.spawn.org. We have oodles of information and resources for freelance writers and authors here.
It isn’t easy building a business as a writer. And it is rare for a working writer to claim a large measure of fame and wealth. It takes constant work and a lot of time just to maintain a modest lifestyle. But what most would-be writers don’t seem to understand until they take the plunge, there’s more to being a writer than just being a writer.
The first thing I ask a hopeful freelance writer do to is to explore his/her reasons for wanting to write. Make sure that your motivations are reasonable. Fame and fortune are not reasonable motivations. Neither is “So I can work at home.” There has to be an underlying passion for writing in there somewhere. Not to mention a level of skill. Here are some additional qualifications for working successfully as a freelance magazine article writer:
1. Time management skills.
2. The ability to discipline oneself to write even amidst distractions.
3. A knack for coming up with good article ideas.
4. A talent for slanting an article appropriately for a particular magazine.
5. Enough assertiveness to keep swimming even in a sea of rejections.
5. A business sense–working writers must use both the right and left brain.
6. A sense of follow-through.
7. Research and interview skills or a willingness to develop these.
8. Patience.
9. Persistence.
10. Writing skills.
My book, “A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles,” is a complete guide to magazine writing. This book, along with all of my books, can be ordered at www.matilijapress.com. Most of them are also available at amazon.com
Well, that’s it for my first blog. Thank you for reading.
Patricia